Politics
The Akkadian ruler who conquered Sumer around 2300 BC
Sargon the Great
Belief in many gods
Polytheism
Sumer began to develop into a civilization because they were able to produce more food than needed. What is this called?
surplus
Mesopotamia
Land that is good for growing crops
fertile
An agricultural area with a walled city in its center, ruled by its own government led by a king
City-state
Ancient Mesopotamians believed that their rulers were part man and part god
Demigod
This written language was developed by the Sumerians around 3500 BC
cuneiform
Moon-shaped land stretching from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to the Mediterranean Sea
Fertile Crescent
To take control of another area or group of people through use of force
conquer
This empire conquered the Babylonians and took the people of Israel (not Judah) into exile
Assyrians
A large temple found in the middle of a city-state
Ziggurat
The oldest written code of laws in the world, written down by the Babylonian king to control his empire
Code of Hammurabi
Name the two rivers that ran through Mesopotamia.
Tigris and Euphrates
List three levels of social structure in ancient Mesopotamia.
top - kings and government rulers, priests
middle - merchants, artisans, farmers
bottom - slaves
Put the following rulers of Mesopotamia in the correct order:
neo-Babylonians
Sumerians
Assyrians
Persia
Akkadians
Babylonians
Sumerians
Akkadians
Babylonians
Assyrians
neo-Babylonians
Persians
Explain why you think that ancient Mesopotamians worshipped gods connected to nature.
They depended on nature to survive, and thought that if they made the gods happy, they would give them favorable conditions.
Nebuchadnezzar built these for his wife to enjoy
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Why was Mesopotamia a good place for the first civilization to start?
fertile land, two rivers (source of water)
Explain how the invention of wheels helped Mesopotamian economy develop.
Wheels on carts allowed merchants to carry more goods and supplies to trade.
Explain the difference between a city-state and an empire.
City-states were independent areas that included a town and the agricultural land around it. They ruled themselves and made their own laws. An empire was a collection of city-states ruled by one powerful ruler who required everyone to follow their laws and pay them taxes.
cuneiform, wheel, ziggurat, city-state, irrigation, 60-minute hour, 360-degree circle
List three modern day countries in the Fertile Crescent.
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait